Written Answers Thursday 25 June 2009

Scottish Executive

Animal Welfare

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24585 by Richard Lochhead on 15 June 2009, what regulations cover the welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses.

Richard Lochhead: There are no regulations which specifically cover the welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses. However, section 24 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 requires the person responsible for animals, including circus animals, to take reasonable steps to ensure that the needs of the animals are met.

  These needs include:

  (a) its need for a suitable environment,

  (b) its need for a suitable diet,

  (c) its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,

  (d) any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals and

  (e) its need to be protected from suffering, injury and disease.

Biodiversity

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether non-governmental organisations have expressed concerns about the possibility of the Scottish Government failing to achieve its objective of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.

Roseanna Cunningham: Many bodies have concerns about the consequences of depletion of our valuable biodiversity and natural resources. There is general agreement that, while significant improvements have been achieved, EU member states will not achieve the ambitious target adopted by the European Union to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. The Scottish Government is however committed to delivering policies within the context of the National Performance Framework which will lead to continuing improvements in the state of Scotland’s biodiversity; non-governmental organisations and private sector representatives are partners with the public sector in taking forward actions under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.

  The Scottish Government is also continuing to work with the UK authorities in contributing to international debate on measures to address global biodiversity loss in the lead up to the 2010 Nagoya Conference of Parties on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Birds

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24240 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2009, when it expects the legislation abolishing the requirement for breeders of falcons to register their birds under Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to come into force.

Roseanna Cunningham: Legislation which will reduce the number of species listed on Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act is expected to come into force on 21 September 2009.

Birds

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24240 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2009, whether it will waive charges for registration under Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 pending the implementation of legislation abolishing the requirement for breeders to register their birds.

Roseanna Cunningham: Breeders will be required to pay the registration fee for species listed on Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act until the amendments to current legislation come into force on 21 September 2009.

Class Sizes

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce legislation to further limit class sizes.

Fiona Hyslop: Under the terms of the concordat, local government will make year-on-year progress on class size reduction. Already across Scotland, class sizes in primary schools have fallen to an all-time average low of 23.2. However, we need to ensure legislation properly balances the need for local and national government to manage class size limits and the rights of parents to have a say in where there children are educated. We are currently considering whether current legislation needs to be changed.

Coastal Protection

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it makes available to communities affected by coastal erosion.

Roseanna Cunningham: Local authorities, any part of whose area adjoins the sea, are coast protection authorities under the Coast Protection Act 1949 which provides wide powers to protect any land in their areas from coastal erosion. The Scottish Government is providing record levels of funding to local government in Scotland with £23 billion allocated over the period 2008-10. The vast majority of the funding, including funding on coast protection, will be provided by means of a block grant. The former ring-fenced capital funding for coast protection is now included within the general capital grant. It is each local authority’s responsibility to allocate the financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having fulfilled statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities. These include the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

Disabled People

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra financial resources it has made available to councils to implement the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimates are of the financial costs of implementing the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Stewart Stevenson: The Financial Memorandum provided by the Bill promoter, Jackie Baillie MSP, and passed by the Scottish Parliament, states that the implementation costs will be £1.7 million.

Employment

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to protect jobs in the Livingston parliamentary constituency.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government remains focused on delivering our core purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth across Scotland, including Livingston.

  Through our Government Economic Strategy and our Programme for Economic Recovery, we are using all the levers at our disposal to lead Scotland out of this downturn and position our economy to take early advantage of the recovery.

  This includes the acceleration of nearly £293 million in capital expenditure into 2009-10, on top of £30 million in 2008-09, supporting around 6,350 jobs across Scotland. Many of these employment opportunities will be in West Lothian.

Family Nurse Partnership

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24081 by Shona Robison on 1 June 2009, what the salary range is of the (a) post of policy lead in programme management of the Family Nurse Partnership pilot and (b) associated post of implementation lead.

Shona Robison: For the Family Nurse Partnership pilot the salary range of (a) the policy lead is band B level 3 within the Scottish Government pay and grading scales and (b) the implementation lead is between £46,000 - £70,000.

Fisheries

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to setting up a Solway Inshore Fisheries Group.

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to including the Solway in the Clyde Inshore Fisheries Group.

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects that an Inshore Fisheries Group incorporating the Solway Firth will be established.

Richard Lochhead: Six pilot Inshore Fisheries Groups (IFGs) were established between January and March this year in the south-east, Clyde, Outer Hebrides, north-west, Moray Firth and small isles and Mull. There will be an early review of the pilot IFGs at the end of this year.

  The Solway Firth is one the new areas under consideration for a further roll out of IFGs next year, following the review. We would not expect to incorporate the Solway in the Clyde IFG.

Fisheries

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what reassurance it can give shellfish growers that shellfish-growing waters as designated under the EU Shellfish Directive will receive equivalent recognition and protection under the EU Water Framework Directive within River Basin Management Plans.

Richard Lochhead: The objective of the Shellfish Waters Directive 2006/113 EC (SWD) is to protect and improve the quality of shellfish waters, contributing to the high quality of edible shellfish products. This objective will be adopted as the driver for environmental objectives for each designated shellfish water as a protected area, in the same manner as for designated bathing waters, under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and will be presented in the River Basin Management Plans in December 2009.

Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the rise in antidepressant prescribing over the last 10 years, from 43.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 population per day in 1997-98 to 93.20 in 2007-08.

Shona Robison: The answer is complex. There are four reasons why anti-depressant prescribing can rise. Firstly, more people may be anxious or depressed at a level which would meet the guidance for prescribing of anti-depressants. Secondly, more people may present to their GP, perhaps because of the reduction in stigma or increasing public understanding of mental health issues. Thirdly, prescribing practice may change – including the use of higher dosages in some cases. Finally, the range of illnesses for which anti-depressants are used may increase over time.

  Our Health Efficiency Access Target (HEAT) is to reduce the annual rate of increase of defined daily dose per capita of anti-depressants to zero by 2009-10, and put in place the required support framework to achieve a 10% reduction in future years.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23283 by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 May 2009, how many individual cases of Clostridium difficile there have been since the outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital was first identified in May 2008, broken down by hospital and showing the number of fatalities.

Nicola Sturgeon: Mandatory surveillance of Clostridium difficile in the over 65 age group by NHS board was introduced in September 2006. This information is collected by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and published in quarterly reports on their website. The latest Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD) report for the fourth quarter of 2008 (1 October to 31 December 2008) was published on 8 April 2009; and the next report for quarter ending March 2009 is due to be published on 8 July 2009.

  Official data on the number of Clostridium difficile related deaths, by NHS board and by hospital, are published by the General Register for Scotland (GROS) on an annual basis. Validated data for calendar year 2008 will be published by GROS in August 2009.

  All NHS boards are now required to collect real time data on infection rates by hospital and specialty. These reports are published on NHS board websites, and from autumn 2009 will be extended to include information on HAI related deaths.

  The data provided in the following table are provisional and should be treated with caution. Encouragingly, this unvalidated data of Clostridium difficile cases for the period May 2008 to May 2009 would appear to indicate a significant downward trend in the number of incidences over the same period the previous year. The information obtained from NHS boards reveals that there were 6,264 Clostridium difficile cases between May 2007 to April 2008. The total in the following table reveals that between May 2008 and May 2009 the number fell to 4,789 cases of Clostridium difficile. This is a fall of 1,475 cases (a 23.5% reduction).

  The date of each incidence has not been given to preserve the anonymity of patients.

  

 Board
 Hospital
 Numbers of Positive Cases per Hospital


Ayrshire and Arran
 Ayrshire Central
 39


 Ailsa
 4


 Arran War Memorial
 4


 Ayr 
 185


 Biggart
 60


 Crosshouse
 261


 Davidson
 9


 East Ayrshire Community
 11


 Kirklandside
 5


 Lady Margaret
 3


 Borders
 Borders General Hospital 
 102


Dumfries and Galloway
 Dumfries Royal Infirmary
 92


 Galloway Community Hospital 
 20


 Lochmaben 
 13


 Crichton 
 3


 Allanbank
 2


 Langholm 
 2


 Moffat 
 2


 Newton Stewart 
 1


 Castle Douglas 
 1


Fife
 Queen Margaret
 153


 Victoria 
 90


 Forth Park 
 3


 Lynebank
 5


 Cameron
 11


 Whyteman’s Brae
 2


 Netherlea
 1


 Adamson
 0


 Glenrothes
 4


 St Andrew’s Memorial
 0


 Lynebank (Community)
 1


 Queen Margaret (Community)
 2


 Randlph Wemys 
 0


 Stratheden
 0


Forth Valley
 Stirling Royal
 206


 Falkirk Royal
 124


 Clackmannan
 2


 Bonnybridge
 7


 Bannockburn 
 17


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 Drumchapel
 6


 Gartnaval
 118


 Glasgow Royal
 116


 Inverclyde Royal
 62


 Lightburn
 9


 Royal Alexandria
 84


 Southern General
 92


 Stobhill
 102


 Vale of Leven
 14


 Victoria 
 99


 Western Infirmary
 64


 Golden Jubilee
 -
 16


Grampian
 Aberdeen Royal
 438


 Woodend
 205


 Dr Gray’s
 47


 Inverurie
 10


 Royal Aberdeen 
 5


 Seafield
 6


 Aberdeen City 
 4


 Fraserburgh
 4


 Roxburgh
 4


 Kincardine
 4


 Royal Cornhill
 3


 Glen o’Dee
 6


 Turiff
 3


 Aberdeen Maternity
 1


 Chalmers
 1


 Leanchoil
 1


 Peterhead
 1


 Jubilee
 0


Highland
 Belford
 10


 Caithness Central
 28


 Raigmore
 98


 County Community Hospital 
 3


 Lawson Memorial
 2


 Ross Memorial
 4


 Royal Northern Infirmary
 6


 Dr MacKinnon Memorial
 3


 Portree
 1


 Migdale
 1


 Ian Charles
 3


 Lorn and Islands
 7


 Dunoon
 4


 Victoria 
 1


 Argyll and Bute
 1


 Campbeltown
 3


 Mid Argyll
 1


Lanarkshire
 Hairmyres
 124


 Monklands
 115


 Wishaw
 194


 Carrickstone House
 1


 Coathill
 10


 Ladyholme
 3


 Lockhart
 1


 Roadmeetings
 3


 Stonehouse
 2


 Udston
 3


 Wester Moffat
 5


Lothian
 Royal Infirmary
 323


 Western General
 273


 St John’s 
 81


 Liberton
 36


 Royal Victoria
 27


 Astley Ainslie
 24


 Roodlands
 10


 Other/not given
 21


 Orkney
 Balfour Hospital 
 29


Shetland
 Gilbert Bain Hospital 
 3


 Montfield Hospital 
 0


Tayside
 Arbroath Infirmary
 11


 Ashludie 
 0


 Blairgowrie
 3


 Brechin
 1


 Crieff Community
 8


 Little Carnie
 2


 Montrose Royal
 1


 Ninewells
 199


 Perth Royal
 51


 Pitlochry Community
 2


 Royal Victoria
 44


 St Margaret’s
 2


 Stracathro
 8


 Sunnyside
 2


 Whitehills
 4


Western Isles
 Western Isles Hospital 
 13


 St Brendan’s
 0


 Uist and Barra
 2


 Total
 
 4,789

Healthcare Associated Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the terms of reference for the public inquiry into Clostridium difficile, chaired by Lord Coulsfield.

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the terms of reference for the public inquiry into the Clostridium difficile outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital and when it will formally set up the inquiry.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Crown Office statement of 24 June indicated that they will not pursue criminal prosecutions following the investigations into the circumstances surrounding the Clostridium difficile outbreak. In my statement to Parliament on 22 April, I indicated my intention to appoint Lord Coulsfield as Chair. Since that time, good progress has been made in establishing an Inquiry secretariat and sourcing accommodation. However, I regret that Lord Coulsfield is now unable to undertake the role of chair of the Inquiry because of circumstances affecting his health. I am grateful to Lord Coulsfield for the preliminary work he had already taken forward.

  I intend to make rapid progress in identifying a new chair for the Inquiry. However, under the terms of the Inquiries Act 2005, I am obliged to consult the chair of the Inquiry on the terms of reference. In these circumstances, I am unable to make an announcement at this stage about the terms of reference and setting up date of the Inquiry but will take forward efforts to appoint a new chair as a matter of urgency, and will return to Parliament as soon as possible to fulfil the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to the mortgage to rent scheme were received in the three months from March to May 2009 and how many were successful.

Alex Neil: Two hundred and fifty applications to the Home Owners’ Support Fund, which includes the mortgage to rent and mortgage to shared equity schemes, were received in the three months from March to May 2009 and one application has been successful so far. In addition, offer letters have been issued on a further nine cases and a further eight cases are at the conveyancing stage.

  Of the 250 received, 112 were returned to the applicant or their money adviser because the application was incomplete.

ICL Public Inquiry

Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report of the ICL Public Inquiry.

Kenny MacAskill: I expect to receive the final report from Lord Gill shortly and along with ministers in the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) we will be arranging for it to be published as soon as possible afterwards. At that time the report will be accessible from the Scottish Government and DWP websites, the ICL Public Inquiry website and copies will be placed in Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 48473). I would like to take the opportunity to thank Lord Gill and his team for their diligent work on the inquiry.

Justice

Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish Professor Alec Spencer’s report on his review of the decision to transfer Brian Martin to open conditions.

Kenny MacAskill: Prof. Spencer’s report will be published today. A copy of the report, Balancing Risk and Need will be placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 48456).

Local Government Concordat

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish reports on an annual or other regular basis setting out in a single document the progress achieved by it and local authorities in fulfilling the specified set of commitments detailed on pages four and five of the Concordat between the Scottish Government and local government and, if so, when the first report will be published.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-7396, on 18 June 2009. All answers to oral parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0618-02.htm#Col18574.

Ministerial Travel

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what use has been made of hire cars for ministers’ travel since May 2007; what companies have been used, and what the total cost has been.

John Swinney: The use of private hire cars for ministerial travel is shown in the following table:

  

 Period
 Number of Journeys
 Total Cost


 May 07 – April 08
 640
£88,493


 May 08 – April 09
 324
£47,836



  The above figures compare with a total of 616 journeys at a cost of £72,705 for ministerial travel by private hire car during the comparable period in 2006-07. However, the figures for this period were affected by a reduction in the level of ministerial travel during the pre-election period.

  Eleven companies in Scotland were used to provide this service. The names of the companies are subject to commercial confidentiality.

NHS Boards

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of the recent announcement of pilots of NHS board elections in Fife and Dumfries and Galloway, when and where the alternatives to elections will be piloted and what form they will take.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government announced on 16 June 2009 that the alternatives to health board election pilots would be held in NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian. These alternative models for health boards will run concurrently with the pilot health board elections and will seek to enhance the current public appointments processes and increase diversity around the board table.

Planning

Christopher Harvie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will lay the final National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 before the Parliament in accordance with the requirements of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006.

John Swinney: I am pleased to announce that the final version of Scotland’s second National Planning Framework was published and laid before the Scottish Parliament this morning, 25 June 2009.

  The National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 builds on the first National Planning Framework (NPF), drawing on the analysis contained in the NPF monitoring report (September 2006) and the views of stakeholders following an extensive programme of public engagement and Parliamentary scrutiny. The framework takes forward the spatial aspects of the Government’s Economic Strategy. It articulates the spatial consequences of policies for transport, energy, climate change, waste management, water and drainage, flooding etc, rather than making policy on these matters. It provides a means of efficiently delivering national policies and programmes and identifying key strategic infrastructure needs which support the Scottish Government’s central purpose of sustainable economic growth.

  Copies of the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2, the accompanying Participation Statement including Final Conformity Report, and a statement in response to the Views of the Scottish Parliament on the Proposed National Planning Framework are available from the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. numbers 48492, 48493, and 48494).

Rail Network

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24359 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, what the capacity is of the line west of Airdrie to Edinburgh Waverley in terms of (a) seating and (b) number of coaches.

Stewart Stevenson: The precise details of the number of coaches which will be used during the peak times of 7 am until 10 am on the line west of Airdrie to Edinburgh Waverley is still work in progress. The minimum number of coaches being planned during this peak time will be 54 providing 3,294 seats though this may be subject to further changes prior to implementation.

Rail Services

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24530 by Stewart Stevenson on 15 June 2009, whether it will list the date, location and attendees for each meeting on the proposed changes to rail services between Stranraer and Ayr.

Stewart Stevenson: The following details are provided relating to the date, location and attendees of meetings held:

  

 Date
 Location
 Attendees
 Meeting Title


27 June 2008
ScotRail HQ, Atrium Court, 
50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow,
G2 6HQ
J Yellowlees (ScotRail),
Allan Comrie (SPT),
Trond Haugen (Sestrans),
Mike Cairns (Tactrans),
Rab Dickson (Nestrans),
Frank Roach (Hitrans),
John Kitchen (Cumbria County Council),
Robert Samson (Passenger focus),
Andy Lightowler (ScotRail),
Jerry Farquharson (ScotRail), and
Patrick Nyamurundira (ScotRail)
Apologies were recorded for:
Peter Williams (ScotRail), and 
John Nelson (Swestrans)
ScotRail’s Fourth Timetable Conference


17 December 2008
ScotRail HQ, Atrium Court, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow,
G2 6HQ
J Yellowlees (ScotRail),
John Nelson (Swestrans),
Allan Comrie (SPT),
Trond Haugen (Sestrans),
Mike Cairns (Tactrans),
Rab Dickson (Nestrans),
Frank Roach (Hitrans),
Robert Samson (Passenger focus),
Jerry Farquharson (ScotRail),
John Kerr (ScotRail),
William Murchison (ScotRail), and 
Des Bradley (ScotRail)
ScotRail’s Fifth Timetable Conference


20 May 2009
ScotRail HQ, Atrium Court, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow,
G2 6HQ
Neil Sutton (ScotRail),
Allan Comrie (SPT),
Chris Day (Sestrans,
Mike Cairns (Tactrans),
Rab Dickson (Nestrans),
John Nelson (Swestrans),
Robert Samson (Passenger focus),
John Kerr (ScotRail),
Des Bradley (ScotRail), and
J Yellowlees (ScotRail). 
Apologies were recorded for:
Jerry Farquharson (ScotRail),
Frank Roach (Hitrans),
Trond Haugen (Sestrans),
John Kitchen (Cumbria County Council), and William Murchison (ScotRail).
ScotRail’s Sixth Timetable Conference


22 April 2009
Transport Scotland, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow,
G4 OHF
Alastair Matheson (Transport Scotland),
Allan Brown (Transport Scotland),
Richard Carr (Stranraer to Ayr Line Support Association), and
David Taylor (Stranraer Chamber of Commerce)
Meeting at Request of SAYLSA


29 July 2008
Transport Scotland, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow,
G4 OHF
Alastair Matheson (Transport Scotland),
Ivor Jones (Transport Scotland),
Claire Keggie (Transport Scotland),
Allan Brown (Transport Scotland),
Jerry Farquharson (ScotRail),
Ian Harrison (ScotRail),
Hamish Baillie (ScotRail), and
Nigel Wunsch (Network Rail)
Transport Scotland, Service Development Group


28 October 2008
Transport Scotland, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow.
G4 OHF
Alastair Matheson (Transport Scotland),
Allan Brown (Transport Scotland),
Alan Marshall (Transport Scotland),
Julian Heathcote (Transport Scotland),
David Prescott (Transport Scotland),
Jerry Farquharson (ScotRail), and
Nigel Wunsch (Network Rail)
Transport Scotland, Service Development Group


27 January 2009
Transport Scotland, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow,
G4 OHF
Alastair Matheson (Transport Scotland),
Ivor Jones (Transport Scotland),
Allan Brown (Transport Scotland),
Alan Marshall (Transport Scotland),
David Prescott (Transport Scotland),
Stuart McKay (Transport Scotland),
Jerry Farquharson (ScotRail), and
Nigel Wunsch (Network Rail)
Transport Scotland, Service Development Group

Roads

Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent, expressed in today’s prices, on trunk roads in the Highland local authority area from (a) 1999-2000 to 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04 to 2006-07; how much has been spent and is planned to be spent between 2007-08 and 2010-11, and how much is planned to be spent in each year from 2012 for which information is available.

Stewart Stevenson: Total expenditure on major trunk road projects in the Highland local authority area is as follows:

  

1999-2000 to 2002-03 (£ million)
2003-04 to 2006-07 (£ million)
2007-08 to 2010-11 (£ million)


 20.872
 8.850
 41.754



  The current three year budget settlement does not extend beyond 2010-11.

Roads

Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent, expressed in today’s prices, on major trunk road projects in the Aberdeenshire local authority area from (a) 1999-2000 to 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04 to 2006-07; how much has been spent and is planned to be spent between 2007-08 and 2010-11, and how much is planned to be spent in each year from 2012 for which information is available.

Stewart Stevenson: Total expenditure on major trunk road projects in the Aberdeenshire local authority area is as follows:

  

1999-2000 to 2002-03 (£ million)
2003-04 to 2006-07 (£ million)
2007-08 to 2010-11 (£ million)


 3.633
 31.145
 126.639



  This expenditure includes estimates for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road which will run through both the Aberdeenshire local authority area and the Aberdeen City Council area.

  The current three year budget settlement does not extend beyond 2010-11.

Roads

Nicol Stephen (Aberdeen South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24478 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, what the specific locations are of the properties subject to compulsory purchase orders to allow the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Stewart Stevenson: The properties are:

  Residential Properties

  

 Greenloanings Cottage, Blairs, Aberdeen


 Crofton, 5 Milltimber Brae, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Bridgebank, 3 Milltimber Brae, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Millbrae House, 6 Milltimber Brae, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Clarewood, 4 Milltimber Brae, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Beech Hill, 309 North Deeside Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Pine Lodge, 315 North Deeside Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Carskeach, 252 North Deeside Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Dalriach, Westfield, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Gairnlea, Blacktop, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 Grandview, Cloghill, Kingswells, Aberdeen


 1 Sunnybank Cottage, Craibstone, Aberdeen


 2 Sunnybank Cottage, Craibstone, Aberdeen


 Sunnybank Cottage, Craibstone, Aberdeen



  Non Residential Properties

  

 International School of Aberdeen, Milltimber Brae, Milltimber, Aberdeen


 2 Outbuildings - Denhead of Cloghill, Kingswells, Aberdeen


 1 Outbuilding - The Scottish Agricultural College, Craibstone, Aberdeen



  All properties required to allow the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) are included in the draft Compulsory Purchase Order published on 25 September 2007, a copy of which is available from the AWPR website at:

  http://www.awpr.co.uk/document_archive.asp?command=OpenFolder&folder=Draft+Orders%5C20 07+%2D+September%5C&file=Compulsory+Purchase+Orders.

Rural Affairs

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the provisions of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Richard Lochhead: A review of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 was undertaken last year and we have no plans to conduct a further review.

Scottish Centre for Financial Education

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to review membership of the management group of the Scottish Centre for Financial Education.

Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-6993 on 21 May 2009. All answers to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Scottish Centre for Financial Education

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to invite representatives from the mutual and cooperative sector into the Scottish Centre for Financial Education.

Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-6993 on 21 May 2009. All answers to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Scottish Government Staff

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been employed by it in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

John Swinney: Please see the following table of headcounts, as at the 31 December of each year for the period 1998 to 2008. Data for 1997 is not available, and therefore has not been provided.

  It is not possible to provide staffing figures broken down by constituency, as the information required to split our overall employee head count figure by Scottish Parliament constituency is not held by Scottish Government Human Resources.

  

 Date
 *Head Count


 31 December 1998
 3,719


 31 December 1999
 3,877


 31 December 2000
 4,189


 31 December 2001
 4,154


 31 December 2002
 4,402


 31 December 2003
 4,552


 31 December 2004
 4,640


 31 December 2005
 4,687


 31 December 2006
 4,676


 31 December 2007
 4,419**


 31 December 2008
 5,030***



  Notes:

  *The head count figure shows the number of staff employed on a permanent or fixed-term contract in Scottish Government Core DGs/Departments at the date shown.

  Between the dates of 15 October 2007 and 31 December 2008 staff from Disclosure Scotland, Communities Scotland, Scottish Building Standards Agency and Scottish Agricultural Science Agency have been absorbed into the core Scottish Government.

  **One hundred and thirty seven staff from Disclosure Scotland transferred from Strathclyde police into DG Education on TUPE transfer terms on 15 October 2007.

  ***Three hundred and sixty five staff from Communities Scotland were absorbed into the Scottish Government on 1 April 2008.

  ***Thirty three staff from Scottish Building Standards Agency transferred to the Scottish Government on 1 April 2008.

  ***One hundred and forty five staff from Scottish Agricultural Science Agency transferred to the Scottish Government on 2 July 2008.

Scottish Water

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Futures Trust will deliver the next invitation to tender for Scottish Water Solutions.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Water issued the invitation to tender for joint venture delivery partners in April and May 2008. This tender seeks joint venture partners to cover the 2010-14 regulatory period and the subsequent period. The next invitation to tender is therefore a number of years off and will be considered at the appropriate time.

Scottish Water

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether commercial shareholders will make a profit from the tender for Scottish Water Solutions.

Stewart Stevenson: No amounts are payable to the consortia tendering for the joint venture to aid in the delivery of Scottish Water’s capital investment programme in the 2010-14 period if they are unsuccessful in their tender.

Scottish Water

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Water Solutions will use a not-for-profit business model.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Water Solutions is majority owned by Scottish Water. The partners in Scottish Water Solutions are incentivised to deliver capital investment for less than the amounts set by Scottish Water’s economic regulator, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland. Any remaining funds are deployed in the interest of Scottish Water’s customers.

Scottish Water

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the next tender for Scottish Water Solutions will follow a PPP limited company business model.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Water is taking forward the tendering of a future joint venture to aid in the delivery of their capital investment programme in the 2010-14 period.

Scottish Water

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what input the Scottish Futures Trust has had in the preparation of an invitation to tender for Scottish Water Solutions.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Water issued the invitation to tender for joint venture delivery partners in April and May 2008. Since it was established Scottish Futures Trust has been kept aware of progress being made in this tender process.

Sectarianism

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any correspondence between it and faith communities sent since 18 May 2009 in respect of encouraging the twinning of denominational and non-denominational schools.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has had no such correspondence since 18 May 2009.

Teachers

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of reports produced by TES Scotland showing only 39.5% of probationers finding permanent posts in the current academic year compared with 51.3% in the previous year, whether it plans to introduce different measures to avoid unemployment amongst teachers.

Keith Brown: Teacher employment is a matter for local authorities. Local authorities employ teachers on a range of contract types including temporary and part-time contracts. The General Teachers Council Scotland survey of April 2009 on which the TES Scotland report was based indicated that 89.4% of post-probation teachers were teaching in Scotland.

  We are actively engaged with COSLA and with local authorities to achieve greater reconciliation between local workforce decision making and the national workforce planning process and to better understand local authorities’ future plans in relation to class sizes and teacher employment.

Teachers

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken since publication of the school census figures for 2008-09 staffing levels to address the decrease in teacher numbers.

Keith Brown: We are taking forward all 12 recommendations of the Teacher Employment Working Group including that relating to achieving greater reconciliation between local workforce decision making and the national workforce planning process.

  We are currently engaged in a series of meetings and discussions with local authorities across Scotland to ensure that we better understand their future plans in relation to class sizes and teacher employment over the next few years.

Scottish Parliament Corporate Body

Police

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will detail the circumstances under which police officers may enter the chamber, committee rooms or MSPs’ offices.

Alex Fergusson: I apologise for the delay in responding to this parliamentary question but I am now pleased to advise that the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding setting out the process whereby police officers may enter the Holyrood complex in execution of a search warrant in the course of a criminal investigation have been agreed between the main relevant parties. The memorandum will have effect immediately so far as the Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), the Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders and the Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police are concerned. To facilitate its more general operation it will be put before the next committee meeting of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPOS) on 25 September 2009 to have a Scotland-wide effect. The memorandum will therefore be immediately operational so far as Lothian and Borders police are concerned and, with regard to other forces, when the ACPOS ratification is confirmed.

  A copy of the memorandum will be published in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre.